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The 2014 UNAIDS Report highlights the gender-based discrimination adolescent girls and young women face worldwide in relation to HIV. It uses population-level data to discuss issues of gender-based violence, lack of access to education and health services, and legal barriers which often lead to increased vulnerabilities of HIV infection. 
This brief highlights why it is important for girls to stay in school, and how poor educational status is highly correlated with HIV infection. A range of interventions to address this issue are given, as well as key questions to consider when advocating for girls’ rights to education. This article can be accessed on-line here.
Many adolescents and young women in Zambia are faced with economic and social barriers, lack of access to health care, and gender-based violence which increase their risk for unwanted pregnancy, HIV, and school drop outs. The AGEP curriculum was developed to teach girls to build strong support networks, increase knowledge around reproductive health, and develop their decision-making and negotiation skills. This low-resource manual provides…
The International Center for Research on Women’s report, “More Power to Her: How Empowering Girls Can Help End Child Marriage", shows how and why investing in girls is critical to the global movement to end child marriage. The practice, which cuts across global cultures and religions, turns more than 14 million girls worldwide into child brides every year, violating their basic human rights – and hindering larger international development…
A new report issued by UNICEF, presents strategies for preventing and responding to violence in the lives of children. The scope of this review includes interventions that address interpersonal violence (emotional, physical and sexual) against children at home, school, work, the community at large and social spaces created by mobile and online technology. It highlights the IMAGE and Stepping Stones programmes as examples of effective…
This paper addresses the urgent need to rebalance HIV investments between treatment and prevention and to develop evidence-based approaches for protecting the large and vulnerable populations of adolescent girls who remain at risk of HIV. This paper outlines a stepwise engagement process for improving girls’ lives and reducing their HIV risk.
This background paper explores the situation for young women in Kenya, where they are four times more likely to contract HIV than young men. The author points to multi-sectoral policy interventions as necessary to better protect young women and to create an enabling environment where they can make healthier sexual decisions.
This paper provides a summary of the evidence at a global level on who is missing out on programming to achieve an "AIDS-free generation." In addition, the article provides evidence-based interventions which may be implemented to improve both HIV and equity outcomes. The paper raises and explains three key issues and goals: eliminating new HIV infections in children and keeping families healthy; preventing HIV infections among adolescents and…
The sixth edition of the Children and AIDS Stocktaking Report examines the progress being made and continuing challenges in the response to HIV and AIDS for children in low- and middle-income countries. This report is part of the series first launched in 2005, with data and analysis on the response to HIV and AIDS among children in low-and middle-income countries. Based on 2012 country data, the report notes great progress in preventing mother…
This newly released report, published by UNICEF with UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, ILO, WHO and the World Bank, describes the state of the epidemic in young people, the evidence for effective responses that address behavioural, social and structural challenges and prevent new HIV infections in young people. Country-specific data is shared.
A brief describes the linkages between young age, sexual violence, and HIV/AIDS and describes policy and program responses.  
This paper considers the risks to young women of cross-generational sex, given that young women (15-24 years old) in sub-Saharan Africa are three times more likely to be infected with HIV than young men of the same age.
The purpose of the matrix is to provide youth-serving organizations with a guide of topics on family planning, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and gender; segmenting them by age and marital status. The matrix can assist technical experts, program managers, health providers, peer educators and others to determine what topics and interventions best fit into their own respective programs while taking cultural paradigms into…
This article explores the gender dimensions of the AIDS pandemic, focusing on its impact on the girl child. It draws on the rights-based approach and argues that the protection and recognition of the rights of the girl child are essential in the face of the AIDS pandemic in Southern Africa. The article gives insights into some innovative programmes that have been developed in Zimbabwe and recommendations for improving the conditions of, and…
There is now greater urgency for global policy action because child brides are increasingly more vulnerable to HIV infection. This policy guide is part of a wider advocacy strategy to raise awareness on child marriage and its effects on communities. It is also part of the wider initiative on preventing HIV infection, particularly among adolescent girls and it aims to stimulate decision- makers worldwide, in particular government policy-makers,…
This four-page brief discusses the major factors that place girls at risk of HIV infection: social isolation, absence from school, child marriage, unsafe sex, and pressure to provide productive labor. The document offers suggestions on better reaching girls, including targeting areas with high concentrations of girls, increasing adolescent girls' attendance in school, delaying marriage, supporting girls-only spaces, mentoring, and livelihoods…
Prepared for the UNESCO Institute for Education workshop "Learning and Empowerment: Key Issues in Strategies for HIV/AIDS Prevention" (Chiangmai, Thailand, March 2004), this 25-page report explores and evaluates the work of the South African organization DramAidE. Established in 1992, DramAidE (Drama in AIDS Education) uses drama, peer education, and participatory media development in an effort to critically engage young people to communicate…
This 5-page brochure focuses on factors that increase girl's risk of HIV/AIDS. Illustrated with orange and white text and graphics, this brochure aims to provide some basic facts about HIV/AIDS and girls. The brochure also suggests solutions to help protect girls and enable them to protect themselves from this pandemic. It is one of a series to help NGOs protect the needs and rights of girls through action and advocacy.
This paper explores the relationship between economic independence, empowerment, and reproductive health for girls and young women. With a focus on East and Southern Africa, it uses examples of promising programs to highlight potential responses and lessons learned.  
Attitudes towards gender that are formed in early childhood can play a significant role in creating adult behaviors that lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS. This working paper explores how to use the early years to lay the foundations for HIV/AIDS prevention.